Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / May 16

Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on the Prevention of Nuclear Proliferation May 16, 1994

To the Congress of the United States: activities between January 1, 1993, and Decem- As required under section 601(a) of the Nu- ber 31, 1993. clear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 (Public Law 95–242; 22 U.S.C. 3281(a)), I am transmitting WILLIAM J. CLINTON a report on the activities of United States Gov- ernment departments and agencies relating to The White House, the prevention of nuclear proliferation. It covers May 16, 1994.

Remarks at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Dinner May 16, 1994

Thank you, Elaine. Thank you, I think. It’s That’s what it said. And it said that about the pretty hard to follow Elaine Jones, especially schools. And I was thinking what a difference when she’s on a roll like she was tonight. it had made. I was thinking tonight as Elaine [Laughter] And the rabbi, sounding more like gave me my report card on judges and told a Baptist preacher every day. [Laughter] And me to do a little better—[laughter]—that today, Vernon, who speaks well when he’s asleep. since I have been privileged to be your Presi- [Laughter] And Dan Rather with a sense of dent, there is a new minority in the Nation: humor. [Laughter] A minority of those who have been appointed Ladies and gentlemen, I come here over- to the Federal bench are white men. A majority whelmingly to do one thing, to say on behalf are women and people of color. And yet, the of a grateful nation, thank you. Thank you to appointees that I have sent to the Senate have the Legal Defense Fund. Thank you to the highest percentage of people rated well- Thurgood Marshall, in the presence of his won- qualified by the American Bar Association of derful wife. Thank you to Bill Coleman. Thank any President since those nominations have been you to Jack Greenberg. Thank you to Julius made. And I am proud of that. And Brown Chambers. Thank you, Elaine Jones. Thank you, v. Board of Education helped to make that pos- all of you who have made it possible for us sible. to come here today to celebrate the 40th anni- Oh, there’s lots of other good things that hap- versary of Brown. Thank you. I thank Bob Ben- pened because of Brown. I wonder if some of nett and Chester Davenport and all those who the people who are in my administration today made this dinner possible. But most of all, I could be there were it not for Brown. Thurgood just wanted to say thank you. Marshall and Bill Coleman and Jack Greenberg, I was sitting out there looking at Elaine, lis- they believe we’re one nation indivisible under tening to her say all these nice things, waiting, God, we’re all going up or down together. What wondering how many days it would be before I wonder is whether the rest of us still believe I would get my next lecture—[laughter]—and that and, if so, whether we are prepared to what new challenge would be presented. endure the rigors of this time to make that Thurgood Marshall and this organization won real. 29 victories before the Supreme Court but none You know, I was raised in the South when as important as Brown. It changed our country I knew a lot of people who were second-class and our lives. In a clear voice it said that we citizens. I lived in a State where it took the could no longer be two nations, separate and President of the United States calling out the unequal. We are one people, one nation under National Guard simply to let my friend Ernest God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Green and eight other people go to high school.

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And thanks to the work of this organization, me. And still today when I see people denying my daughter got to go to that school system each other’s humanity, I remember the words and never know that, and I’m grateful. of Ralph Ellison, and I think we are trying to I think it’s important for us not to let young make people who make us uncomfortable, who people today forget that. Tomorrow, Secretary threaten us, who frighten us, invisible. But they Riley and Ernest Green and Thurgood Marshall, will not go away. There are too many of us Jr., and I are going to Martin Luther King Jun- in this country today who simply don’t accept ior High School in Beltsville, Maryland, to teach one another’s legitimacy. young people why Brown and its ideas are still Last March, the leading moral voice for toler- important, why they still matter. But we have ance and reconciliation in Northern Ireland to ask ourselves whether we think they still mat- came to our country. His name is John Hume. ter. He’s a Catholic member of the British Par- Recently in various speeches, my good friend liament who represents a city in Northern Ire- Vernon Jordan and then, last weekend at How- land where Catholics and Protestants have ard, General Colin Powell have reaffirmed the waged fights and built walls of hatred for 300 fundamental meaning of Brown in the face of years. The day after he had dinner with us at blacks and whites alike who seem to be retreat- the White House, he gave a speech in which ing from its lesson, either out of fear or resigna- he said this: ‘‘The essence of the Irish problem tion that it is no longer possible to make it is a division in the hearts and minds of our real in our lives. people . . . let us walk to Abraham Lincoln’s We see an alarming new study among Afri- Memorial and look at the message of peace can-Americans that warns of a pervasive sense that’s written there for everybody, E Pluribus of alienation, especially among the young, so Unum—from many, one. The essence of unity that fully half of them want to opt out of the is the acceptance of diversity.’’ American system. They want to separate them- To be sure, there can be no unity when peo- selves. They believe that they’re already a nation ple have not learned to accept one another as within a nation. That’s why so many large they are and when they think they can only crowds, I think, are drawn to the message of fulfill themselves by denying others’ humanity. those who preach separatism in a negative way. But accepting diversity is only half the story. There are too many extremists of all kinds across And that is our challenge today. Diversity is the entire political and racial spectrum who not an end in itself, although it is a very good think the only way they can advocate their own thing; it is simply the only way we can build ideas and build themselves up is by putting in a free society a larger community to which other people down, sometimes in the most dev- everyone belongs, in which everyone has a com- astatingly vicious ways. mon stake in the future, and in which everyone I say to all of you, we have to ask ourselves: can have a decent life. Do we still believe in Brown? And if we do, Anyone who knows the history of this organi- what are we prepared to do, not only to stand zation knows you don’t have to have the same up for it but to make it real in our time? skin color to have the same values. But we also Tomorrow we must celebrate Brown with the have to be able to frankly speak about our prob- realization that a lot of folks have a mood that lems and our differences. threatens to sever the ties that bind us. And You know, I thought a lot about what I should we must confront a new segregationism that say here tonight, and I got all kinds of advice. would tear us apart. To do it, we must recognize Like I normally do when I get in trouble, I that Brown was ultimately not an answer but discarded it all and decided to say what I a challenge. And now 40 years later, you and thought. [Laughter] If you think about what’s the LDF must challenge me and our Govern- going on today—what motivated Vernon to say ment, and together we must challenge the Na- what he did in his Urban League speech and tion to revitalize the meaning of Brown in our General Powell to say what he did, what moti- time. vates people to go hear Mr. Farrakhan in large When the courts were hearing Brown, Amer- crowds—what are all these cross currents? Why ica was reading a book by Ralph Ellison, called is it that we’re having trouble living with Brown ‘‘Invisible Man.’’ He died just a month ago and living by Brown? Well, it’s because Brown today. That book had an incredible impact on didn’t solve all of our problems, and we’ve got

932 Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / May 16 some new problems. And in the face of those, you can say the wrong things and reject the there’s more than one response, and it’s really spirit of Brown and do nothing but cash in, tough. and that’s wrong. No one can doubt that we are much, much, Or you can do what is disturbingly working: much better off today because of Brown and You can say the wrong things; you can preach all those other decisions that said we had to division; you can deny the Holocaust ever oc- be one people. It changed us forever for the curred. But you can help people solve real prob- better. But no one can doubt that it couldn’t lems. You can tell families they’ve got to stay solve all the problems. There’s still racism. together, and daddies they’ve got to take care There’s still inequality. There is more trouble of their kids, and people they ought to stay with violence and the breakdown of family and off drugs and everybody ought to show up for community and the absence of work in parts work every day. And that is a very dangerous of our country. The vacuum that has created thing, because in the end, we will still lose; has given rise to all kinds of terrible conditions. because in the end, you cannot have a democ- We had, in a town near here, last weekend, racy where you lift up one group by putting a 13-year-old boy who just won a scholarship somebody else down. But it is a tempting thing that could have led him out of poverty through when people are doing things that change lives. an excellent education—the promise of Brown— I say this to make this point. People des- shot dead on a street corner because he hap- perately wish their lives to change. They want pened to be in the wrong place; two groups to do something that will make a difference. of people were feuding and shooting at each They want safer streets, not nice talk. They want other. schools that work, not nice talk. They want chil- We have here in this community a poor dren to be raised by caring parents, not nice neighborhood where people decided that if they talk. So we have to recognize that the only ac- wanted their kids to be able to play in the ceptable thing to do is to do what Thurgood yard and their old folks to be able to sit on Marshall and Bill Coleman and Jack Greenberg park benches, they’d have to do what rich folks did 40 years ago. We have to not only talk do. So they just built a little fence around their the talk, we have to walk the walk. We have living quarters, and they got some security to not only advocate Brown, we have to deal guards. And sure enough, they might as well forthrightly and aggressively with the problems have been out in some fancy neighborhood in we face today in a way that actually changes southern California: The kids could play again people’s lives. That is what we have to do. and the old folks could sit again in safety. There are a lot of people that don’t think But we have these problems. Now, what are we can do this. There are a lot of people that we going to do about them? There seems to are filled with doubt. I had Members of Con- me four things we can do, and three of them gress walk right up there and vote for the Brady are wrong. One is, we can come to a dinner bill last year—after 7 years of fooling around like this and talk about how wonderful Brown with it and looking for excuses and caving in was and preach until the day we die and not and finally passing it—who did not believe it do anything to deal with the problems of this would make a difference. But it has. It’s just time. If so, we will lose a whole generation like Brown: It hasn’t solved all the problems, of young people to other courses of action. but it has saved lives already. We had people Or we can do what I said—Elaine mentioned put their political careers on the line here last if you preach venom, you get a talk show; if week, walking down the aisle in the House of you preach love, you get a yawn. Deborah Representatives to vote for the assault weapons Tannen, a professor at Georgetown, has written ban, putting their necks on the line, afraid it a book called ‘‘You Just Don’t Understand.’’ She might not make a difference. But it will. says we’re caught up in what she calls a ‘‘culture And I’m telling you, that is the kind of thing of critique,’’ where shouting matches drown out we have to deal with, knowing that there is constructive conversation and where you only no ultimate perfect answer but that we expect really have any status at all in society if you’re something that will not occur if we think we just slamming somebody else and putting them can simply advocate the ideas that are embodied down and you don’t really have to do anything in the Brown decision and not change our own as long as you just talk. So you can do that, behavior and the behavior of our country to

933 May 16 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 give our kids a safe and decent and well-edu- We cannot stand chaos and destruction, but cated childhood to put things back together we must not embrace hatred and division. We again. There is no alternative for us if we want have only one choice. to keep this country together and we want, 100 Let me read this to you in closing. It seems years from now, people to celebrate the 140th to me to capture the spirit of Brown and the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education in spirit of America and what we have to do today, the greatest country the world has ever known, starting with what is in our heart. These are fully diverse, where everybody, all God’s chil- lines from Langston Hughes’ wonderful poem dren, can live up to the fullest of their God- ‘‘Let America Be America Again’’: ‘‘Oh yes, I given potential. say it plain, America never was America to me. And in order to do it, we all have to overcome And yet I swear this oath, America will be.’’ a fair measure not only of fear but of resigna- Let that be our oath on this 40th anniversary tion. There are so many of us today, and all celebration. of us in some ways at some times, who just Thank you, and God bless you all. don’t believe we can tackle the big things and make a difference. But I tell you, the only thing for us to do to honor those whom we honor NOTE: The President spoke at 8:15 p.m. in the tonight is to tackle the big things and make International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton. a difference. In his remarks, he referred to Elaine R. Jones, I’m proud that Elaine Jones and all the rest director counsel, LDEF; Rabbi David Saperstein, of you are trying to deal forthrightly with the director, Religious Action Center, Union of Amer- problem of violence and the fear it produces ican Hebrew Congregations; Vernon Jordan, din- and what it’s doing to drive our people apart. ner chairman; Dan Rather, dinner host; Cecelia I want you to think about what we can do Marshall, widow of Supreme Court Justice to honor the sacrifices of those whose shoulders Thurgood Marshall; William T. Coleman, former we stand on tonight. They did not do all this Secretary of Transportation; Jack Greenberg, Co- work to preside over the collapse of American lumbia University law professor; Julius L. Cham- society, to give people an equal opportunity to bers, chancellor of North Carolina Central Uni- get an inferior education, to give people an versity; Robert Bennett and Chester Davenport, equal opportunity to be unemployed, to give dinner corporate cochairs; Ernest Green, one of people an equal opportunity to stand on the the Little Rock Nine who integrated the public street corner and be gunned down by some school system in Little Rock, AR; Thurgood Mar- kid that nobody ever loved enough or disciplined shall, Jr., Deputy Counsel and Director of Legisla- enough or cared enough about to give a dif- tive Affairs for the Vice President; and Minister ferent way of living to. Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam.

Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway May 17, 1994

Interest Rates deficit and expectations for high growth this Q. Mr. President, the Federal Reserve seems year, good growth. likely to increase interest rates today. How is And so—I make it a practice generally not that going to affect economic growth and your to comment on what the Fed does. There is calculations for deficit reduction if you have to clearly some room for short-term interest rates spend more to service a $4 trillion debt? over the rate of inflation that won’t slow down The President. Well, first of all, if it happens, our economic growth. And I have every con- it will be because we have growth. I mean, fidence that we’re still going to have another now let’s get the fundamental facts out here. good year this year and that we will be able We have more jobs, lower inflation, and a lower to offset any modest increase in interest rates

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